The Laughing Baby : Songs & Rhymes from Around the World

by Anne Scott, Lura Schwarz Smith (Illustrator)

Sounds, combined with physical contact, have long been used to lull babies to sleep, soothe them in times of stress, and engage them in active play. Today we understand that using rhythmic sounds and sensations is not only fun-it actually strengthens the bonds between parents and babies and is integral to a baby's development and wellbeing. THE LAUGHING BABY is an inspirational collection of children's songs and rhymes gathered from around the world. Rooted in ancient oral traditions and handed down through the generations, the songs and rhymes are as fresh today as they were a century or more ago. From the lesser known "Samoan Rock-a-Bye" and "Hindi Peek-a-Boo" to the popular "Frère Jacques," THE LAUGHING BABY is a delightful way for parents and children to spend their special time together.

Genres: Music

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

For Sir Walter Scott's, daughter, see Anne Scott

Anne Scott lectures in literature and has also been a BBC Scotland broadcaster and occasional writer for The Scotsman and The Herald in the 1990s. She studied at Edinburgh and married there, and her son, Mike, is a successful song-writer and musician.

When she was nine a bookseller folded a bookmark with a red cord into her newly-purchased book and that was the beginning of her love affair with books and bookshops. Working visits to Ann Arbour and Kansas in the 1980s, and later to New York City, Dublin and Galway, helped define her professional work as an extended study of Irish and American writing. There were so many writers in Ireland and America, so many bookshops in the world, together they turned her into a searcher.

She lives in the West of Scotland.